Qualitative Exploration of Health-care Experiences of the 'Miya' Community of Assam during Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The study investigates the various factors responsible that influenced the healthcare experiences of Assam’s ‘Miya’ community during the Covid-19 outbreak. Using an exploratory and qualitative research framework, semi-structured interviews were performed for three months on a sample of 20 male and female 'Miya' patients and their attendants inside the confines of a government hospital in Guwahati, Assam. An inductive, thematic interpretation of data revealed that during the pandemic, the exploitative and unfair medical system fostered discriminating and stressful experiences among the ‘Miyas’. Because of their contested social identity, low occupational, literary, and linguistic status, changing hospital setting and protocols, and lack of internal connections, they have witnessed rising stereotypes, social exclusion, neglect, and distance from/by non-Miya counterparts in the context of healthcare.